The Crow Girl series 1 recap and how it sets up the truly sinister events of series 2
The psychological thriller delivered one of the biggest twists in history
The Crow Girl series 2 is finally arriving on Paramount+ after what feels like a very long wait and, after THAT colossal twist at the end of series 1, you’ll probably need a recap (and a stiff drink).
The series first landed on the streaming service in January 2025, and it was always destined to be a hit. First of all, it’s based on the bestselling book by Swedish author Erik Axl Sund. Secondly, the cast was packed with fan-favourites including Katherine Kelly, Eve Myles, and Dougray Scott.
Many binged all six episodes in one sitting, and were blown away by the revelation in the final episode. If you thought Netflix thriller Behind Her Eyes delivered a twist, then The Crow Girl upped it by 100%.
So here’s a recap of the jaw-dropping bombshell in the ending of The Crow Girl series 1, as well as what we can expect from series 2.
***Warning: spoilers from The Crow Girl series 1 ahead***
The Crow Girl series 1 recap
The ending of The Crow Girl series 1 dropped a huge twist, and left plenty of loose ends hanging to tie up in a second series. After all, the series is based on a trilogy of books (although the English translation combines all three of the novels into one massive tome). So realistically, the series will be carved up into three series, reflecting the books.
The ridiculously addictive storyline of The Crow Girl followed DCI Jeanette Kilburn, who was called to investigate when the dead bodies of unidentified young men started to show up around Bristol. Tragically, they’d been beaten and pumped full of the anaesthetic Lidocaine.
The dedicated cop enlisted the help of psychotherapist Dr Sophia Craven to hunt the killer. But, little did she know, her new friend was WAY MORE involved than she could ever have imagined.
In fact, Sophia Craven was the beating heart of all the murders. Although she wasn’t murdering the young boys herself, she knew who was. And made it her mission to bring the horrifying deaths to light. But we didn’t know this until the big reveal in the final episode. That was when we discovered that Sophia was in fact Victoria Burkeman grown up.
Oh and notice we didn’t say she wasn’t a murderer… She was most definitely a killer, which we found out later.
Who was the killer in The Crow Girl?
Well, there were quite a few killers – at least three (Victoria/Sophia, her dad Ben and, of course, the unwitting fighters).
Horrifyingly, we discovered that middle-class, middle-aged men were at the centre of the deaths. These were dentist Carl Lowry, who was arrested for possessing indecent images of children, David White, the headteacher of Beecham School Peter Drake, farmer Vincent Dwyer, and Victoria’s dad Ben Burkeman.
Although we did not exactly find out how, an incriminating phone call from David in episode 6 proved they were involved. And they knew Sophia was coming for them. She had her own axe to grind against the dirty old men, having been subjected to their sexual abuse from a young age.
The young boys were all asylum seekers in the UK, and were being paid to take part in fights after being pumped full of drugs to dull the pain. Tragically, they were fights to the death. Once the fights ended, the ‘loser’, or rather the corpse, was taken away. This is where the farmer came in. He froze the bodies, and fed them to his pigs.
But Victoria/Sophia discovered this disgusting practice. She recovered the frozen bodies from the farm, cleaned their feet as a sign of respect, and deposited them somewhere public to be found by the police. And, of course, she choose to leave the dead bodies outside the homes or work places of the men involved. Clever girl.
Sadly, despite coming very close to uncovering the truth, Jeanette and her team did not manage to arrest those responsible. This will all be blown apart in series 2.
The Crow Girl series 1 recap: Who killed Martin Ryan?
Victoria’s dad Ben murdered his daughter’s childhood friend Martin Ryan. For what reason? Seemed to be pure spite – just because his child got along with him. He also used Martin’s death as an excuse to gaslight his daughter, blaming her for his death.
Ben later murdered his own daughter/grandaughter Madeleine when she tried to escape from him. Of course, Victoria – discovering what he’d done – tied him to a chair and set him on fire. Reader, we cheered.
Are Dr Sophia Craven and Victoria Burkeman the same person?
Yes, little Victoria Burkemen grew up to reinvent herself as Dr Sophia Craven. Victoria was sexually abused by her dad (and others), while her mum turned a blind eye. Horrifically, Victoria became pregnant with her dad’s child, who Victoria believed was her younger sister Madeleine. Dad from hell Ben Burkeman told Victoria she’d killed her own baby, and then bought the baby up as Victoria’s sister Madeleine. In half she was her half-sister, and daughter.
Years later, having escaped his vile clutches and believing her daughter was dead, she returned. However, when Victoria tried to save Madeleine, her father violently pushed Madeleine down the stairs, killing her. Like a revenge-seeking missile, Victoria choose to stay in Bristol and expose the lies and crimes taking place in the city.
We know Victoria/Sophia suffered from obsessional thinking, and had been through a severe trauma as a child. Victoria was described as a fantasist, who suffered from alternative realities. When she spoke out about her abusive father, she wasn’t believed.
This is all plenty to make Victoria grow up to be the “tainted” Dr Sophia Craven. Is Sophia suffering from dissociative disorder, a mental health condition that affects her sense of identity?
Crucially, it seems that Dr Sophia Craven doesn’t realise she is the same person as Victoria Burkeman. This hints at a condition which allows her to compartmentalise her childhood trauma as a way to cope.
This is explored in detail in the upcoming series 2 of The Crow Girl.
Did Jeanette and Sophie get together?
As if Sophia being revealed as the real Victoria wasn’t shocking enough, the final episode of The Crow Girl showed Jeanette fall for Sophia’s charms.
We know she was a bit distracted, what with her police partner being corrupt, and her marriage falling apart, but COME ON Jeanette – wake up!
Their initial friendship grew into something more, and the pair finally kissed in the closing minutes of The Crow Girl ending. That was around the same time we discovered that Sophia/Victoria had her mum tied up in her secret closet…
The Crow Girl series 1 recap: Who did Victoria kill?
As far as we know, Victoria was guilty of killing her dad by setting him alight. Only after he had murdered their daughter Madeleine, though. As murders go, we doubt anyone mourned his loss.
We also saw her stab self-confessed paedophile Carl Lowry to death as he lay in a hospital bed. So far, all revenge kills for men who ‘deserved’ it.
However, those who have read the book will know that the series has deviated from the novel with some of the killings.
The Crow Girl series 1 recap: What else happened in the final episode?
There was a lot to unpack in the final episode of The Crow Girl, but it never felt too hard to keep up with.
DCI Jeanette Kilburn had the difficult task of reporting her partner DI Lou Slater, who felt like family to her. She discovered he had used his position to sleep with a vulnerable witness. He also encouraged asylum seekers to sell drugs for money – making a profit for himself in the meantime.
Meanwhile, Jeanette’s already shaky marriage collapsed as she and husband Alex agreed to part ways. That was shortly before Jeanette headed to Sophia’s for some scissoring. Not very patient, is she?
Is there a series 2 of The Crow Girl?
Yes, we can confirm that The Crow Girl will be back for a series 2, and it streams on Paramount+ from Monday, July 20, 2026. At the end of The Crow Girl, as we picked our jaws back of the ground, the credits read “to be continued”.
The Crow Girl on Paramount+ is adapted from the trilogy of novels by Erik Axl Sund – the pen name of Swedish author duo Jerker Eriksson, and Håkan Axlander Sundquist.
Three novels – The Crow Girl, The Hunger Fire and The Pythia’s Instructions – form the internationally best-selling trilogy about Victoria Bergman (changed to Burkeman in the thriller). Series and series 2 complete the trilogy, so it’s unlikely there’ll be a series 3.
What is the plot of series 2?
A synopsis tells us: “Picking up the morning after the events of series 1, Bristol Police Detective Jeanette Kilburn has ended her marriage and found herself in bed with enigmatic psychologist Dr. Sophia Craven. Jeanette’s hunt for the killers of young male asylum seekers takes a shocking new turn when a mummified body discovered in a church wall and a body in a freezer reveal a chilling connection.
“As Jeanette digs deeper, Sophia begins to suspect Victoria Burkeman, her mysterious and unstable former patient who has previously been convicted for multiple murders, could be responsible.
“With the case growing darker, Sophia suspects Victoria is more familiar than she thought, and Jeanette must face the terrifying truth: the killer may be closer than she ever imagined.”
Paramount+ tells is season 2 will be “just as intense and emotionally charged as the first season”.
